20081111_Local decision making

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decision-making :

LSPs, Sustainable CommunityStrategies and LAAs

and

sustainable development

Local



Sustainable Development Commission Local decision-making and sustainable development 3

“A thorough understanding of how to apply sustainable

development principles will need to be a key part of policyskills for the future as will the ability to engage the widerpublic in the development and implementation of new ideas.”

Securing the Future – delivering UK sustainable development strategy, March 2005.

1 Introduction

Local authorities and their partners, throughlocal strategic partnerships (LSPs), are pivotal toachieving sustainable development. By taking asustainable development approach, individuallyand in partnership, they can play a leading role inexemplifying and delivering integrated environ mental, social and economic improvements at thelocal level.

The increasing importance of achievingsustainable development at the local level isbeing matched by increased expectations on localauthorities and their partners through the newperformance framework, the Comprehensive AreaAssessment (CAA), which comes into place fromApril 2009.

The Government’s vision, for example, is that“to a greater extent than previously, sustainabilityshould be at the heart of” the LSP’s SustainableCommunity Strategy (SCS) – the overarching plan fora local area. 1 In turn, the Local Area Agreement (LAA)should be the “shorter term delivery mechanismfor the Sustainable Community Strategy.” 2 TheLocal Development Framework (LDF) – the spatialplanning strategy for an area – should also be inharmony with SCS priorities.3 Meanwhile, theproposals for the CAA say that it will be “inherently

about sustainability.”4

To look at ways in which this vision can beachieved, the Sustainable Development Commission’s(SDC) Capability for Local Sustainability projectbrought together key government departments andnational, regional and local stakeholders to exploreways to improve the capability of local governmentand its partners, to deliver sustainable development.

The project focused in particular on the role of LSPs,SCSs and LAAs.

This paper highlights some of the key ndingsfrom this project. It sets out the key responsibilitiesof local authorities and their LSP partners inrelation to sustainable development, and some ofthe opportunities and challenges that they face inmeeting these. It also highlights some of the ‘keyingredients’ for delivering sustainable developmentat the local level. These are based on the learningfrom existing good practice. Finally, the papersignposts what support is already out there, whatmore is being developed and what else is requiredfrom national and regional bodies.

Alongside this paper, we have also published

two other resources as part of the Capability for Local Sustainability project:

• A report from CAG consultants,Capability for Local Sustainability , which sets out the

ndings of research commissioned by the SDCto identify current good practice in deliveringsustainable development through LSPs, SCSsand LAAs and how this good practice could bereplicated more widely, and

• A set of good practice case studies, co published with the Improvement andDevelopment Agency (IDeA), which wereproduced as part of CAG’s research.

Both of these resources can be found on theSDC’s website.



4 Local decision-making and sustainable development Sustainable Development Commission

The combined resources and activities of localauthorities and their LSP partner bodies areenormous. At the same time, the public sectoralone is responsible for signi cant environmental,social and economic impacts. For example:

• The local government and education sectorsand the National Health Service (NHS) employjust over 15% of the UK workforce, with the

gure growing to 20% for the wider publicsector5

• The public sector has signi cant purchasingpower. The local government, health andeducation sectors in the UK together boughtover £88 billion worth of goods and servicesin 2005/06 6

• Local authorities alone delivery over 700different services covering areas includingeducation, transport, planning, socialservices, public health, procurement, energyconsumption and provision, recreationand leisure, housing, regeneration andenvironmental stewardship

• It is estimated that the schools estate aloneis responsible for 10.4 million tonnes ofcarbon dioxide, which is just under 2% of UKcarbon emissions and almost 15% of carbonemissions attributable to the public sector 7

• Local government in England owns more thanone in ten houses and collects over 29 milliontonnes of household waste per year 8

• Around 800,000 meals are served in hospitalsevery day creating impacts from foodproduction, processing and transportation. 9

By using their combined resources to achievesustainable development, local authorities andtheir LSP partners can simultaneously support localeconomies, strengthen local communities and bene tthe environment both locally and globally. They cando this through the internal management of theirorganisations, the services that they commissionand provide, and by providing leadership for theircommunities.

2 The potential o local authorities andtheir LSP partners

CAG’s report,Capability for Local Sustainability , foundthat there is confusion amongst local authoritiesand LSPs about what is meant by sustainabledevelopment, particularly in terms of its relationship

with the concept of ‘sustainable communities’.In the UK, a shared set of principles helpsguide public sector decision-makers to de ne whatsustainable development means. Government’sSustainable Development Strategy Securing theFuture (2005) describes the goal as:

“We want to achieve a strong, healthy and justsociety living within environmental limits.”

This is the goal of sustainable development.There are also three de ned elements which willcontribute to achieving this goal, and these are asustainable economy, good governance and usingsound science responsibly. It is clear from these

principles that sustainable development should notbe confused with economic development. Whereenvironmental limits and social progress are notintegrated as the primary goal, then economic

development cannot be described as sustainabledevelopment (see Annex A).Sustainable development is emphatically not

about “trading off” one principle against another,and where major trade offs occur, the primary goalor objective is unlikely to have been sustainabledevelopment. Actions which breach global environ mental limits cannot be sustainable, but neithercan initiatives which respect those limits but aresocially divisive or economically unviable over thelong term. However it is worth noting that there canbe a short term cost penalty, but with sustainabledevelopment the longer term gain will be positiveand lasting. If climate change is the most graphicand pressing example of what happens when we

3 Understanding sustainable development,sustainable communities and climate change




breach environmental limits, sustainable develop ment is the only response which can provide lastingsolutions. Meeting all ve principles at once is atough challenge, but it is not impossible, and happilythere are examples which can motivate us all.

The UK strategy for sustainable development,Securing the Future , sets out the relationshipbetween these ve sustainable developmentprinciples and sustainable communities:

“Sustainable communities embody the principlesof sustainable development. They:• Balance and integrate the social, economic and

environmental components of their community

• Meet the needs of existing and futuregenerations

• Respect the needs of other communities in thewider region or internationally also to maketheir communities sustainable.” 10

For consistency, it is important that all bodies, bethey national, regional or local, use this Securing theFuture de nition as their starting point for thinkingabout sustainable development and sustainablecommunities at the local level.

The framework in which local authorities and LSPpartners now operate includes a strengthenedrange of responsibilities and powers in relationto the achievement of sustainable development.Some of those we engaged with during the projecthave even argued that this strengthened framework

amounts to a ‘duty’ on local authorities and LSPs todeliver sustainable development. In any case, it isclear that sustainable development should now beat the heart of an LSP’s business, with the SCS as theoverarching, long term plan for achieving this.

Key components of this strengthened sustainabledevelopment framework include:

• An overarching strategy for sustainabledevelopment, Securing the Future, in which“local authorities and their partners, throughLocal Strategic Partnerships, are pivotal to

delivering sustainable communities”11

• A set of UK wide sustainable developmentprinciples. Statutory guidance says that theseshould be respected if a local priority or policyis to be judged to be sustainable 12

• A statutory duty on local authorities toprepare a SCS “that should contribute to theachievement of sustainable developmentin the United Kingdom.” To a greater extentthan previously, sustainability should be atthe heart of this Strategy 13

• A “shorter term delivery mechanism” for theSCS, the LAA, which should also thereforecontribute to sustainable development 14

• A duty to co operate• A new Comprehensive Area Assessment

(CAA), which “is inherently aboutsustainability”; “sustainability considerationswill be integral to the three overarching CAAquestions”15

• A duty on local planners to exercise theirfunctions with a view to contributing to theachievement of sustainable development 16

• Local authorities are also required to haveregard to SCSs when preparing their LDFs.17

These responsibilities are complemented by twobroad enabling powers:

• The power of wellbeing, which allows localauthorities to do anything they consider likelyto promote or improve local economic, social

or environmental wellbeing,18

and• The Sustainable Communities Act, whichprovides a means through which local peoplecan ask central government to take action topromote the sustainability of localcommunities.19

These powers are further complemented by awide range of other powers. The Local GovernmentAssociation (LGA), for example, sets out the manypowers that local authorities can use to deliverenvironmental objectives in its report Cuttingthrough the Green Tape .20

The diagram overleaf sets the key elements ofthis strengthened framework.

4 Sustainable development: at the heart o the newper ormance ramework?



Comprehensive Area Assessment

Area assessment “sustainability considerations will be integral to the three overarching CAA questions”.

CAA: Joint Inspectorate Proposals for Consultation – Sum

mer 2008.

Use of Resources 2008/09 includes sustainability focus.

Use of resources 2008/09: Overall approach and key lines of enquiry.

Performance

assessment

Statutory and Corporate Plans

The key plans of local authorities and

their LSP partners should take account

of the SCS, the ‘overarching plan of

the area’.

Local Development Framework

Required to have regard to the SCS.

Plus, planners have a duty to exercise

their functions with a view to

contributing to the achievement

of sustainable development.

Responsibilites and duties

Sustainable

outcomes

for local areas,

now and

in the future

Policy framework

Enabling powers

Sustainable Communities Act

Power of Well Being

“For a local priority to be sustainable

it should respect [the] ve principles of sustainable development”

Creating Strong, Safe and Prosperous Communities

Sustainable Community Strategy

(SCS)

Purpose

“ To set the overall strategic direction

and long-term vision for the economic,

social and environmental well-being of

a local area in a way that contributes to

sustainable development in the UK.”

“ Sustainability should be at the heart

of the Strategy.”

Creating Strong, Safe and Prosperous Communities

Securing the Future

the UK sustainable development strategy.

Local Area Agreement

“ the shorter-term delivery

mechanism” for the SCS

A strengthened framework for sustainable development

Local Strategic

Partnerships

(LSPs)

“ Provide the forum

for collectively

reviewing and

steering public

resources, through

identifying prioritites

in sustainable

community

strategies and

LAAs.”

“ Duty to cooperate

on statutory

partner

authorities.”

Figure 1 Responsibilities and duties: A strengthened framework for sustainable development




Regardless of the formal responsibilities, taking a sustainable development approach also has a number ofvery tangible bene ts for local authorities, their partners and their local areas. These include:

5 The benefts and opportunities o a sustainabledevelopment approach

Community leadershipProviding leadership on sustainable development sets an example both to the public and topartner organisations. Doing so can enhance public trust and reputation, motivate partners

and the public to take action, improve levels of local engagement and participation, and helpbuild a common sense of responsibility around sustainability. In Sutton, strong council leadership

on sustainable development has lead to alignment of key plans against the borough’s vision ofsustainability, leading to real bene ts for local communities.

Local beneftsLocal communities, economies and environments can all bene t from local authorityand LSP commitment to sustainable development. Procuring sustainable, local food, for

example, supports the local economy, reduces food miles and associated congestion costs,cuts greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to people’s health. In Birmingham, the LSP

has agreed to a ‘Sustainable Procurement Compact’ which signs partners up to using their £6bnspending power to achieve sustainable development in the local area.

Financial benefts

More ef cient use of energy and other resources can lead to direct nancial savings, especiallyover the long-term. Environmental ef ciency measures, such as insulation, recycling bins andlow ush toilets, can all reduce running costs. Bigger projects can yield greater savings; Woking

BC’s energy ef ciency fund resulted in £4.7m of cost savings over 10 years.

Risk managementThe management of all risks, including long-term environmental, social and economic riskscontributes to good organisational management. The risks of not addressing sustainability

include the increasing nancial costs of nite resources, such as fossil fuels, reputational risk,the risks of environmental change and increased risks to public health.

Value or moneyBasing spending decisions against sustainability criteria is the only way to ensure value formoney over the long term. This means taking a ‘whole-life cost’ approach that takes account

of environmental, social and economic considerations. Decisions based on up-front costsalone can often be a false economy.

Joined-up delivery and enhanced outcomesAdopting a sustainable development approach is about delivering environmental, socialand economic objectives in an integrated, long-term way. In Cumbria, for example, the

use of a genuine partnership approach to appraising the SCS and LAA has generatedintegrated outcomes.

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As our case studies show, some local authoritiesand their partners are already using their potential toachieve good progress towards achieving integratedenvironmental, social and economic outcomes.The ndings from CAG’s research demonstratesthat many others, however, are yet to maximisethe enormous potential they have to contribute tosustainable development for their communities.

CAG cite a range of reasons for why this is thecase. And a whole range of organisations have arole to play in improving the picture. These includegovernment departments, government of ces inthe regions, public service inspectorates such as the

Audit Commission, local government improvementbodies such as the IDeA, and regional bodiesincluding the Regional Improvement and Ef ciencyPartnerships (RIEPs). We look at what some ofthese bodies are already doing, or planning to do,to support local authorities and their partners at theend of this paper.

What is clear, however, is that there is much thatlocal authorities and their partners can do, and arealready doing, themselves. We set out below someof the factors, or ‘ingredients’, that CAG found hasenabled good practice to happen already.

Our research has identi ed a number of ‘keyingredients’ that have enabled sustainabledevelopment to be integrated into SCSs and LAAs andembedded in the work LSPs. These are highlightedin Figure 2 overleaf and expanded on below.

These ingredients are not exclusive to sustainabledevelopment practitioners. They are important for all

those involved in LSP, SCS and LAA processes. This isbecause developing these ingredients and adoptinga sustainable development approach is about betterdecision making: improved partnerships working,integrating priorities and objectives, planning forthe long term and so on.

6 The ‘key ingredients’: how local partners canembed SD into LSPs, SCSs and LAAs

CAG’s research found that leadership on sustainabledevelopment is a crucial ingredient for success.Leadership can happen at all levels:

• From sustainability of cers within thelocal authority. In Cumbria County Council,for example, leadership has come from a

dedicated sustainable development team

• From LSP managers and of cers. In theBirmingham and Leicester case studies, thiswas facilitated through the appointment ofdedicated sustainability of cers on the LSP

• From LSP partners. In Gloucestershire, thevoluntary sector has long championedsustainable development as a cross cuttingtheme. Elsewhere it has been the localbusiness sector that has shown leadership

• From the LSP Board. Islington’s work onclimate change, for example, has been aided

from a high level of commitment from its LSPBoard

• From senior council gures, such as theLeader, the Cabinet portfolio holder and ChiefExecutive. Achieving this level of leadershipis challenging but, where it happens, it

signi cantly enhances good practice.

So what can help to improve leadership for sustainabledevelopment? National and regional bodies have animportant role to play, but the research demonstratesa few areas where local authorities and LSPs couldhelp themselves. These include:

• Training and advice in leadership forsustainable development, particularly aimedat political leaders and senior managementwithin local authorities and LSP partners,including seeking opportunities to integratesustainable development into existingleadership training and development

Developing leadership for sustainable development



Figure 2 The key ingredients for delivering sustainable development

Key ingredientsfor delivering sustainable developmentin your local authority and local strategic partnership

Develop leadership on sustainable development (SD) throughout the LSP

Provide training and advice to political leaders and senior management within LSP partners•Embed SD into existing leadership training and development programmes•Train and raise awareness for LSP managers & embed SD into existing training•Work with other LSPs to create SD networks or incorporate SD into existing LSP networks•

RESOURCES

Be open to new approaches, foster positive attitudes towards SD•Develop and communicate strong ‘business cases’ for SD•Adopt a ‘what SD can do for you’ approach•

LEADERSHIP

Foster respect, joint-working and collaboration

Develop a joint-working culture to naturally enhance SD•Involve partners other sectors and be prepared to incorporate their ways of working•Host ‘integration’ workshops for the LSP•

Use sustainability tools for more sustainable approaches to strategy and policy development

Ecological footprinting tools can help communicate and promote SD to the public•Use sustainability appraisal tools from outset in development of key plans, including SCS and LAA•Use tools collaboratively to encourage policy integration and increase LSP buy-in•Develop tools locally to build ownership and increase uptake•

Get the right resources in place

Work creatively through partnerships•Consider creating a dedicated LSPsustainability of cer•Use external funding to support SD initiatives•Use LSP procurement power to support SD•

TOOLS

Ensure LSP structures and governance arrangements support SD

Link the development of key plans, such as the LDF and the LAA, to the SCS•

Review governance structures to improve partnership-working•Consider creating a sub-theme or group on SD, with appropriate resources•

GOVERNANCE

Develop key generic SD skills and competencies across the LSP to promote better decision-making

Long term planning, strategic thinking, policy integration, partnership-working, engagement, income generation•

And complement them with:

The right technical expertise, in uencingskills and development of SDunderstanding and awareness-raising•

ATTITUDES

CULTURE

KNOW HOW




• Training and awareness raising on sustainabledevelopment for LSP managers; this is bestachieved by including it into existing trainingand development programmes

• Working with other LSPs in the region tocreate sustainable development networksfor LSPs, and incorporating sustainabledevelopment into existing LSP networks.

The research found that risk aversion, particularlyamongst senior managers who have yet to appreciatethe value which sustainable development could addto their service delivery, seems to be a signi cantblock to the acceptance of sustainable developmentas a cross cutting issue.

Creating positive attitudes and opennesstowards sustainable development is thereforeimportant, although this can take time. In Cumbria,for example, the use of sustainability appraisal hasled to an increasing appreciation by the LSP of thebene ts to be gained from adopting a sustainabledevelopment approach. Previously, it was often

viewed as a ‘hoop to jump through’ or a barrier toeconomic growth.

One way to foster positive and open attitudestowards sustainable development is to develop andcommunicate strong ‘business cases’ 21, emphasizingthe bene ts that taking a sustainable developmentapproach can achieve, particularly where nancialor win win win outcomes can be created. Adoptinga ‘what sustainable development can do for you’approach, as opposed to a ‘what you can do forsustainable development’ approach, can pay realdividends in engaging with those who tend to beunfamiliar with, or closed to, the concept.

Attitudes: being open to new approaches

The delivery of local sustainable development isnaturally enhanced by a culture of joint working, bothbetween LSP partners as well as within and acrosslocal authorities and other partner organizations.Bringing together partners with different butoverlapping economic, social and environmentalinterests enables the development of integrated,collaborative and more holistic solutions.

Successful joint working takes time however.LSPs are relatively new structures and so it isnatural that not all of them are collaborating as

effectively as they might. And again, risk aversion

was highlighted in the research as a barrier to bettercollaboration.

There are ways, however, to improve andstimulate more effective partnership working aroundsustainable development. Involving partners frombusiness and other sectors can often lead to newways of working and can overcome risk aversion.In North Somerset, a series of ‘integration workshops’and a large scale stakeholder event enabled LSPpartners and other stakeholders to review all theoutcomes from the community consultation and to

think beyond their own areas of responsibility.

Culture: fostering respect, joint-working and collaboration

The case studies and research highlighted theimportance of a number of key generic skills andcompetences in making effective decisions onsustainable development. These include:

• Long term planning . Sustainable developmentis about preserving and enhancing quality oflife for future generations. As such, developingskills and techniques which foster long term

thinking are critical, especially as local policyand funding cycles are often short term

• Strategic thinking . CAG identi ed this asa “key necessary skill for delivering localsustainable development.” Thinking ‘long term’ is an aspect of this, but just as importantis the ability to see the bigger picture andthink beyond ‘easy win’ issues

Developing sustainable development ‘know-how’




• Integration . Skills, knowledge andtechniques in integrating economic, socialand environmental objectives in strategyand policy making. In Gloucestershire, forexample, the County Council’s LeadershipTraining includes a focus on how to take anintegrated approach to delivering councilbusiness

• Partnership-working . The case studieshighlighted that developing competenciesaround networking, collaboration andnegotiation is important to enable effectiveand sustainable decisions to be taken bypartnerships on strategy and policy

• Engagement . LSPs cannot deliver sustainabledevelopment in a vacuum – all sectors ofthe local community need to be genuinelyinvolved. CAG’s research demonstrates thatmore training and peer support for of cersinvolved with LSPs is required

• Income generation . In a time when localauthorities and LSPs are facing increasing

nancial pressures, having the ability toattract internal and external funding is very

important, particularly for sustainable develop ment teams. In Sutton, three quarters of thesustainability team are externally funded.

Developing these skills and competenciesshould be the responsibility of all LSP partners.

For sustainable development to be truly embedded,it is important that these are not just seen as thedomain of local authority sustainable developmentof cers or their equivalents (although these skillsare important for them too).

As well as these generic skills, also importantare:

• Technical expertise . Technical expertiseon a range of speci c areas is also criticallyimportant. On climate change, for instance,skills and knowledge on issues such as micro generation, energy ef ciency, adaptation,sustainable transport systems, and environ mental education amongst others, are requiredacross local authorities and their LSP partners

• Infuencing . For sustainable developmentof cers and their equivalents, being ableto put forward a convincing business caseand in uence key gures is often critical toembedding sustainable development acrossLSP partners

• Developing basic understanding andawareness . The research found thatunderstanding of sustainable developmentis still relatively limited, particularly amongst

key decision makers.

For all these things, it is important thatappropriate support is available externally from thevarious improvement and support bodies, as wediscuss in section 7.

Effective partnership working is critical to deliveringlocal sustainable development. For LSPs, this involvesputting in place the right structures and governancearrangements. These have developed signi cantlyin recent years and the case studies from thisresearch demonstrate that signi cant progress hasbeen made in some areas in recent years.

Linking the development of key strategies to theSCS will increase the chances of them deliveringsustainable development. In Cornwall, for example,the SCS and LAA (the strategy’s delivery agreement)were developed in parallel. A number of other casestudies highlighted the importance of aligning thedevelopment of the LDF with the SCS to ensure thatthe strategy is genuinely sustainable.

Independently reviewing partnership structurescan also pay dividends. In Gloucestershire, a reviewby the Tavistock Institute has increased the clarityof roles and responsibilities between the variouspartnerships and strategies in the two tiers of localgovernance.

Some areas have also found it bene cial to createa sub theme or group on sustainable development,as opposed to it being dealt with by an environmentsub group or not at all. This can be very effectivein keeping sustainable development on the LSPagenda, provided that the group has high levelsupport and the in uence and resources necessaryto work at a strategic level across the LSP and itsother sub groups.

Governance for sustainable development




The research found that sustainability tools canbe very useful in promoting and developing moresustainable approaches to strategy and policydevelopment. Hounslow’s sustainability standardtoolkit, for example, resulted in sustainability beinga cross cutting theme within in its LAA, as wellas creating integrated action on air quality, healthand economic development in particular. Ecologicalfootprinting tools can also be useful. In Sutton, forinstance, this approach has helped to communicateand promote understanding of sustainable develop ment issues in a very powerful way.

Signi cantly, the way in which sustainability tools,particularly appraisal type tools, are developed andapplied is also important. In particular:

• Local authorities are already required to usesustainability appraisal in relation to spatialplanning and the LDF. However, the casestudies show that sustainability appraisal canalso add value to other key local plans.For instance, using it in an iterative waythroughout each step of SCS or LAAdevelopment, from early stages to nal drafts,ensures maximum effectiveness

• Using tools collaboratively helps to identifyintegrated policy solutions and increases buy in

• Developing new tools locally with the involve ment of partners builds local ownership andleads to greater enthusiasm and uptake oftheir use.

Using the right tools

In order to take forward sustainable developmenteffectively, LSPs need to have suf cient resourcesin place. Of course, this is not easy always at a timewhen many LSP partners face increasing resourceconstraints. This is particularly a challenge in smaller

LSPs, such as those at the district level.Nevertheless, our case studies show that having

the right resources in place is a signi cant factor ingood practice. The LSPs in Birmingham and Leicester,for instance, both have dedicated sustainabilityof cers. In Sutton, the local authority sustainabilityteam has often worked creatively in partnershipwith the LSPs to draw in funding from a wide rangeof sources.

Even where there is no dedicated staff or project

resources for sustainable development on LSPs,there is still much LSP partners can do. Procurement,for example, is a particularly powerful means ofpromoting sustainable development and one whichall LSPs have in common. In Birmingham, the LSP

has signed a Sustainable Procurement Compact inwhich the LSP partners have agreed to work togetherto use their estimated £6bn spend on goods andservice to support sustainable development in thelocal area.

The SDC’s guide to nancing sustainabledevelopment at the local level, Financing LocalFutures, contains a wealth of ideas on how localauthorities and their partners can develop nancefor sustainable development. 22

Resources




Local authorities and LSPs cannot deliver sustainabledevelopment on their own. They also need the rightframeworks, leadership, support and incentivesfrom a range of bodies, including Government, theinspectorates, regional bodies and local governmentleadership and improvement bodies.

CAG have previously identi ed the need for the“the coordination and coherence of the ‘patchworkquilt’ of different agencies and initiatives involved…in the sustainable development offer to localgovernment”. 23

We are pleased to have observed therefore thatthe Capability for Local Sustainability project hashelped to stimulate and strengthen relationshipsbetween different partners on the project, andthat it has led to increased understanding of whatis required to improve sustainable developmentat the local level. We hope that this will lead tomore collaboration in the future on support andimprovement for the delivery of local sustainabledevelopment.

To this end, the Capability for Local Sustainability report makes a range of proposals for improvingsupport for local authorities and LSPs on sustainabledevelopment. Broadly speaking, these fall into veinter related themes:

• Ensuringclearer and more consistentGovernment messages to local authoritiesand LSPs

• Ensuring that sustainable developmentis embedded into the new performanceframework

• Ensuringlocal political and senior manage-ment buy-in to sustainable development

• Developing a package of measures tosupport LSPs on sustainable development

• Developing a package of measures tosupport sustainable developmentpractitioners.

Below, we brie y discuss each theme, identifyingwhere recent progress has been made and wherefurther improvement might be made in the future.

7 External leadership, support and incentives:an improving picture?

There have been a number of positive developmentson this front, including:

• New statutory guidance, Creating Strong Safeand Prosperous Communities , which saysthat sustainability should be at the heartof Sustainable Community Strategies “to agreater extent than previously”, with LAAs astheir “shorter term delivery mechanism”

• The creation of an all region GovernmentOf ce group on sustainable development.We hope this might provide a springboard forbuilding capacity on sustainable developmentacross the Government Of ces.

In the future:• As champions for the delivery of sustainable

development in local areas, Defra haveagreed to promote across central GovernmentDepartments the range of responsibilitiesand powers that local authorities and theirpartners have in relation to the achievementof sustainable development

• The Regional Directors of GovernmentOf ces are already committed to embeddingsustainable development within theirorganisations and the Government hascommitted to ensuring that sustainabledevelopment principles are embeddedin Government Of ce business planning,workforce development and performance

management systems.24

The evidence fromthis project suggests that further progress isneeded. The SDC therefore encourages:– Defra to reiterate the importance of

embedding sustainable developmentas a top priority for Government Of ces,especially within the context of the newdepartmental make up of governmentfollowing the creation of the Departmentfor Energy and Climate Change

– The Government Of ces to explorehow existing senior level networkscan be utilised to help build capacityon sustainable development. Senior level networks could share and build

Clearer and more consistent Government messages




on good practice, raise the pro le ofthe Government Of ce commitmentto sustainable development and agreeon the inclusion of a sustainabledevelopment objective in senior levelpersonal development plans

– Regional Directors to consider agreeing totake part in a sustainable developmentmasterclass from the SDC to build on theirown understanding of how sustainabledevelopment principles can be appliedwithin their organisations

• Government will need to ensure that theimpacts of the Sub National Review, at theregional and sub regional levels, do notundermine recent progress in embeddingsustainable development into the localgovernance framework. To help achievethis, Defra will be considering the outputsof the projects undertaken through theSustainable Development Transition andTransformation Fund – the aim of which isto assist regions in embedding sustainabledevelopment within any new regionalarrangements as a result of the SNR process.

The performance framework is a critical factorin determining the degree to which sustainabledevelopment is delivered at the local level.The development of the CAA is a real opportunity forthe Audit Commission and the other inspectoratesto strengthen the focus on sustainable develop ment within the performance framework. Positivedevelopments here include:

• The proposal that sustainability will be

integral to the three main overarchingquestions in the ‘area assessment’, part ofthe new Comprehensive Area Assessment

• The incorporation of sustainable developmentinto the Audit Commission’s Use of Resources2008/09 judgement. In the future, thisjudgement will be part of the new CAA’s‘organisational assessment’

• Agreement from the IDeA to develop theSDC’s proposals for a Local SustainableDevelopment Lens (LSDL) into a tool for

local authorities and their LSP partners.The Government Of ce for the West Midlands,the Audit Commission and the Academy forSustainable Communities (ASC) have alsoagreed to help develop and support theseproposals.25

In the future:• The SDC looks forward to continuing

work with the Audit Commission andother inspectorates to embed sustainabledevelopment into the new CAA and to buildup their own capacity and understanding ofsustainable development. The ASC will also

work to support the Audit Commission onsustainable development

• The ASC will promote the use of the LSDLamongst LSPs and through the Homes andCommunities Agency (HCA) delivery teams

• The ASC, in collaboration with partnersincluding the Audit Commission and theSDC, will be developing a benchmarkingtoolkit that uses sustainable development

principles to support local authorities andLSPs in their approach to improvement.The benchmark will include a range of casestudies to exemplify how good practice canbe delivered, which will build on the goodpractice identi ed through the Capability for Local Sustainability project.

• The IDeA and LGA have agreed with theNottingham Declaration Partnership toconsider forming a link between the LSPself evaluation tool and the Nottingham

Declaration website to help LSPs wantingto see how climate change can be re ectedwithin the self evaluation tool.

In addition:• The SDC encourages the IDeA and LGA to

explore the opportunities to ensure that theCAA’s focus on sustainable development isre ected in their LSP self-evaluation tool.Some of the generic skills for sustainabledevelopment, such as long term planningand integrating policy objectives areparticularly relevant.

The new performance framework




Capability for Local Sustainability identi ed thatclearer incentives and drivers from governmentand the Audit Commission were needed as a pre requisite for greater buy in and leadership onsustainable development from key decision makersin local authorities and LSPs. To this end, we arepleased that the new statutory guidance and CAAproposals both include a much strengthened focuson sustainable development. We are pleased that:

• The IDeA is committed to running a two day learning module in spring 2009 as partof their Leadership Academy programmefor executive councillors to strengthen theirleadership capacity in dealing with the

climate change agenda within the context ofsustainable development,

In the future:• Key local leadership and improvement

bodies, including the Leadership Centre,SOLACE, CIPFA, IDeA and their equivalentsacross the sectors represented by LSPs, shouldconsider how sustainable development canbe incorporated into their mainstream adviceand support programmes

• CLG, IDeA and LGA should consider creatinga ‘leadership for sustainable development’theme in future Beacon Awards.

Local political and senior management buy-in

TheCapability for Local Sustainability report identi esa wide range of measures needed to support LSPsto deliver sustainable development, particularlythrough SCSs and LAAs. In regard to these, we arepleased that:

• A strong sustainability and climate change

agenda has come out of LAA negotiations andit is important to build on these agreed localpriorities

• The IDeA and the SDC have co published thecase studies from this project as a resourcefor all LSPs interested in strengthening theirown practice on sustainable development.The IDeA also has a range of other relevantcase studies on its Places and PartnershipLibrary

• CLG is developing an update of Planning

Together which speci cally addresses theneed for improved collaboration betweenLSPs (SCS and LAA) and planning (LDF) inorder to make places more sustainable 26

• SDC and ASC are considering how they mightwork together for the rest of 2008/09 toimprove support for LSPs on sustainabledevelopment.

In the future:• Defra and CLG look forward to SCSs, many of

which are now being revised, with a strongfocus on sustainable development and thefurther strengthening of LSPs, supported bythe local capacity building programme

• Defra will encourage the GovernmentOf ces to promote the use of sustainabilityappraisals for the refresh of LAA improvementtargets to assess how well social, economicand environmental objectives have beenintegrated and identify gaps and areas that

need to be developed to address sustainabledevelopment

• The IDeA will consider how sustainabledevelopment issues might be furtherincorporated into other strands of itscapacity building. This might include greaterincorporation of sustainable development intosupport for planners and children and youngpeople’s services, for example. The SDCencourages other improvement bodies to dothe same.

In addition:• The SDC encourages the IDeA and RIEPs

to consider mainstreaming sustainabledevelopment into speci c work on theClimate Change Best Practice Programme,procurement and LSP leadership, as part ofthe capacity building work programmes

• The SDC also encourages Defra, CLG, IDeA andthe RIEPs to consider the creation of a RIEPlead on sustainable development, connectedto the RIEPs, to help mainstream sustainabledevelopment into capacity buildingprogrammes

Measures to support sustainable development in LSPs, SCSs and LAAs




• The Government Of ces should also considerhow they might support time and resource poor LSPs and local authorities on deliveringsustainable development

• CLG, IDeA and LGA should consider includinga ‘Beacon Awards’ theme on ‘genuinely

delivering sustainable development throughSustainable Community Strategies’. Thiswould support the new Government guidancewhich says that sustainability should, to agreater extent than previously, be at theheart of SCSs.

Local authority sustainable development of cers(or their equivalents) will continue to havean important role in embedding sustainabledevelopment across their respective authorities,LSPs, SCSs and LAAs. To this extent, we are pleasedthat the IDeA already provides a range of supportfor sustainable development of cers, which includesa regular two day conference, supported by theSDC, and other workshops, as well as online supportand case studies. In general, however, we note thatsupport for sustainable development practitionersis not well resourced, either within the IDeA orbeyond.

In the future:

• The SDC encourages support andimprovement bodies to allocate morededicated resources to support sustainablepractitioners in local authorities, LSPs and LSPpartner organisations

• Furthermore, existing support for sustainabledevelopment practitioners should be retainedin the reorganisation of the LGA group(including LGA, IDeA and the Leadership Centre)

• The Government should ensure thatRegional Champion Bodies for sustainabledevelopment, and their associated networksand support, will not be lost due to theimpacts of the Sub National Review.

Finally, it is worth noting that a whole range ofother national, regional and local organisations havea role to play in improving capability for deliveringsustainable development at the local level, suchas the Commission for Architecture and the Built

Environment, the Environment Agency and thenew Homes and Communities Agency. We thereforeencourage all relevant organisations to consider howthey can strengthen their contributions to improvinglocal sustainable development capability.

Measures to support sustainable development practitioners




For the public sector, the overarching frameworkfor delivering sustainable development in theUK is set out in One Future – Different Paths, inwhich “the goal of sustainable development is toenable all people throughout the world to satisfytheir basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life,without compromising the quality of life of futuregenerations”.

Delivering sustainable development shouldinvolve planning for the long term, fully integratingeconomic, social and environmental factors intodecision making and considering impacts beyondthe local area.

The UK’s shared sustainable developmentframework sets out a set of principles (below) tohelp guide public sector decision makers, wherebythe aim to achieve the goals of living withinenvironmental limits and a just society by meansof sustainable economy, good governance andsound science.

At the local level, terms such as sustainablecommunities, well being and good corporatecitizenship, and sustainable procurement all fallunder the banner of sustainable development.

Annex A What is sustainable development?

Using sound science responsiblyEnsuring policy is developed and implementedon the basis of strong scientic evidence,whilst taking into account scientic uncertainty(through the precautionary principle) as wellas public attitudes and values.

Promoting good governanceActively promoting effective, participativesystems of governance in all levels ofsociety – engaging people’s creativity,energy and diversity.

Achieving a sustainable economyBuilding a strong, stable and sustainableeconomy which provides prosperityand opportunities for all, and in whichenvironmental and social costs fall on thosewho impose them (polluter pays), and efcientresource use is incentivised.

Ensuring a strong, healthy and just society

Meeting the diverse needs of all people in existing andfuture communities, promoting personal wellbeing, socialcohesion and inclusion, and creating equal opportunity.

Living within environmental limits

Respecting the limits of the planet’s environment,resources and biodiversity – to improve our environmentand ensure that the natural resources needed for life areunimpaired and remain so for future generations.

Further readingHM Government,One future – different paths : the UK’s shared framework for sustainable development ,March 2005, www.sustainable development.gov.uk

HM Government,Securing the future : UK delivering sustainable development strategy ,March 2005, www.sustainable development.gov.uk



1 CLG,Strong and prosperous communities: the LocalGovernment White Paper , October 2006, p101

2 CLG,Creating Strong, Safe and Prosperous

Communities: Statutory Guidance, July 2008, p343 CLG, Planning Policy Statement 12: Local SpatialPlanning, 2008 www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/pps12lsp

4 Audit Commission, CSCI, Healthcare Commission,HMIC, HMIP, HMIP and Ofsted,ComprehensiveArea Assessment: Joint Inspectorate Proposals for Consultation – Summer 2008, July 2008, p14

5 Of ce of National Statistics,Labour Market Trends,‘Public Sector Employment 2006’ , December 2006,www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/nojournal/PSE_2006.pdf

6 Her Majesty’s Treasury,Public Expenditure: Statistical

analysis 2007 . Available at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/E/B/pesa07_complete.pdf, April 2007

7 SDC,Schools carbon footprinting, scoping study – nalreport . Available at www.sd-commission.org.uk/publications/downloads/SDC_Carbon_Footprint_ report_to_DfES.pdf, April 2006

8 www.lga.gov.uk9 SDC,Healthy Futures: food and sustainable

development . Available at www.sd-commission.org.uk/publications.php?id=71, 2004

10 HM Government,Securing the future: delivering UK sustainable development strategy , March 2005, p184.

11 UK Government,Securing the Future: delivering UK sustainable development strategy , March 2005.

12 Communities and Local Government,CreatingStrong Safe and Prosperous Communities: Statutory Guidance, July 2008, p28

13 Ibid, p2814 Ibid, p34. The relationship between LAAs and

SCSs is set out in Section 106(2)(c)(i) of the LocalGovernment and Public Involvement in Health Act2007.

15 Audit Commission et al,Comprehensive AreaAssessment: Joint Inspectorate Proposals for Consultation – Summer 2008, July 2008

16 Part 3 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act200417 See Section 19(2)(f) and (g) of the Planning and

Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and18 Part 1 of the Local Government Act 200019 Communities and Local Government,Sustainable

Communities Act 2007: A Guide, February 200820 LGA,Cutting through the green tape: the powers

councils have to tackle climate change, 200821 By business cases we mean the full environmental,

social and economic bene ts of taking a sustainabledevelopment approach, both within the organisationitself and in the wider local and global community.

22 SDC,Financing Local Futures, www.sd-commission.org.uk/pages/ nancinglocalfutures.html Supported by IDeA, CIPFA and LGA

23 CAG Consultants,Who’s who in sustainabledevelopment and local government: a national and regional stakeholder mapping project , an internalreport to the SDC and the IDeA, September 2007

24 DTI, ODPM and Defra,Securing the Regions’ Futures,2006, pp24-25

25 The SDC has developed proposals for a Local SD Lens– a voluntary basket of indicators, drawn primarilyfrom the National Indicator Set, to help track progressat the local level on key ‘litmus test’ priorities forsustainable development. These proposals arepublished on the SDC website, www.sd-commission.gov.uk

26 CLG and RTPI,Planning Together: Local Strategic Partnerships and Spatial Planning – a practical guide,January 2007

Endnotes



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